A/N - So this takes place after 2x21 and has nothing to do with the finale. The events of the finale would kinda make this story an AU, sooo.

Also: I'm looking for a beta for this story. I think it's going to have a lot of chapters and be an interesting ride for all of us. So if you're interested, please let me know! I'd like someone who isn't afraid to tell me something sucks or give me a different direction to the story. Also, any concrit and criticism and praise is welcome, this is only my second TVD fic and I'm a little rusty. Thank you so much for reading.

At the cemetery, the air was still and calming. The wind whispered softly and guided Elena to all the graves she had to visit on that particular day. Her adopted parents, who took care of her and loved her and tried their best to shield her from unnecessary pain, until a tragic car accident took them out of the picture. Jenna, who did her best to take over the responsibility of two teenagers when she was barely into her twenties herself. John, her father, a man she never exactly trusted but sometimes achingly missed. As she placed the roses on the graves, Elena also thought of Isobel; the mother who abandoned her and tried to save her all in the same life. All of these people who were meant to protect her, they were all gone. She was utterly and desperately alone. She'd experienced so much death in the last two years. Mystic Falls was nothing but a shell of sadness and misery now. Maybe it was time to get out.

Of course Elena wasn't really alone. She had Stefan. She had her always loyal friends. She'd always have Jeremy, who was being unbelievably amazing lately now that Alaric had taken them in. She even had Damon, who was being unusually sweet and understanding. It was hard not to notice the way he was looking at her lately. If she was going to be honest with herself, she was looking at him in a different way lately, too. Her feelings for Damon were always so confusing; she preferred to just pretend they didn't exist. It was harder to pretend after they almost lost him. The werewolf bite Damon had gotten from Tyler Lockwood nearly killed him. The dementia had set in before finally Bonnie and Elena found the cure in one of the Gilbert grimoires. The cure was simple: Damon had to drink the blood of a witch. Bonnie wanted no part of it at first, but Elena was able to convince her. It was touch and go for a day or two, but Damon eventually got his strength back.

Elena sat in the cemetery for hours. Nobody was expecting her. Alaric was busy at school, Stefan was giving her space, Damon was...wherever he always was. This was the only place she wanted to be right now; with so many familiar friends surrounding her peacefully and quietly. She let her thoughts drift to the day she and Stefan met in this very cemetery. He had so many secrets and she had been so naive. There were so many things she didn't know; so many pieces of the puzzle she had yet to discover. A huge part of her yearned to go back to the time when she was woefully ignorant. A time when she thought vampires and werewolves were only in books and movies and nobody knew she was doppelganger of any kind. But here she was, 17 years old, basically an orphan, in love with a vampire. Or was it two vampires...she wasn't ready to face that truth yet.

The worst truth of all was that Klaus was still on the run. It had been three weeks since the sacrifice and she was still waiting for him to appear behind every corner. Of course, realistically he didn't have any use for Elena anymore; he was a hybrid now and probably didn't care if she was a vampire, a zombie, or none of the above. But he was out there, more powerful than anyone could possibly comprehend, and he couldn't be underestimated. Elena wasn't concerned about herself as much as she was with the Salvatore brothers. They had a score to settle with Klaus and Elijah. Elena knew it was only a matter of time before there was another tragic conflict that would take someone else she loved from her.

After deciding that her melancholy brooding time was over, Elena got up, dusted herself off and walked to the boarding house slowly, trying to take in nature, trying to get herself to think positively about the future instead of dreading what could possibly happen next.

Nobody was home at the house. Elena, numb from her afternoon spent in sorrow, didn't really care. She curled up on the sofa and let herself sleep. At least when she slept, she didn't have to think about...everything. And at least when she slept, she could have that dream again. The delicious dream that kept haunting her nearly night after night. It felt so real; in fact, she thought it could have been real and she just didn't remember it ever happening. Stranger things have happened when two vampires were in love with you.

In the dream, Damon is in her bedroom when she comes back from the bathroom. It's at night. The windows are open and the wind is blowing ever so slightly. She's confused, but she's happy to see him. He looks like he has something important to say. Out of nowhere, he produces the necklace she thought was gone forever. And then he says the most beautiful words:

"I just have to say it once, you just need to hear it. I love you, Elena. And it's because I love you that...I can't be selfish with you, why you can't know this. I don't deserve you...but my brother does."

Elena looks at him, not exactly surprised by his words but shocked with the humanity and tenderness in his voice. Why did he keep this part of himself hidden? Why was he so afraid to be vulnerable?

Before she can tell him anything in the dream, he says, "God, I wish you wouldn't have to forget this. But you do." And then she wakes up. The dream always ends there, before she can ever say anything, before she can tell him that she doesn't know how to feel, but she feels something.

Elena always feels somewhat guilty when she wakes up from this dream; like she was unfaithful to Stefan. But another part of her is curious. She's curious to know exactly how Damon feels about her. And the biggest secret of all-Elena was dying to know what it felt like to kiss Damon Salvatore. Stefan was an amazing kisser and she loved him with all her heart and soul. But sometimes she'd look at Damon and all she could focus on were his lips. It was becoming a problem.

"Elena...Elena!"

Suddenly Elena was jolted out of her safe dream world and into the reality of...Damon. He was looking at her curiously, grinning just slightly. Elena was human and as such, she was not immune to his blindingly handsome smile and crystal blue eyes. Damon was an attractive man, there was no questioning that. But Stefan was equally as hot, just in a different way.

"What were you dreaming about? You seemed pretty happy about whatever it was."

"Oh...nothing," she said, trying to shake off the guilty feelings that were threatening to consume her. Also, she knew she was blushing. To see Damon right after having that dream was awkward but somehow satisfying.

"Yeah, I don't think it was nothing. You're blushing, Elena. Were you dreaming about my brother and his hot-"

"Grow up, Damon. I wasn't dreaming about him. Where have you been, anyway? And do you know where Stefan is?"

"I was...out. And I have no clue where little bro is. Can't you, like, text him or something?"

"I did. He's not answering."

"Well, I'm sure he's doing something fascinating like getting you a present or buying eggs at the store. Maybe the eggs are your present."

"Shut up," she said, pretending to be annoyed. "Who were you out with, anyway? I thought you threw that news reporter chick out on her ass."

"I have other friends, Elena. I know this comes as a shock to you. And since when do you care who I spend my time with anyway?"

"I don't," she muttered. "Whatever."

They were playing that game again. The one where they pretended to ignore the subtle overtones of attraction that were always present whenever the two of them were in a room together. She longed to tell him that she thought about him all the time. They would probably have to talk about this someday, but the timing wasn't right. She didn't know when it would be, but it just wasn't yet.

As if on cue, Stefan walked in, looking exhausted and annoyed. Elena stole one last glance at Damon and got up to greet her boyfriend.

"Where have you been? I was starting to worry."

"At the grill, thinking about some things. I made some phone calls. I've come up with a plan, Elena. I want to talk to you about it."

"Is the plan to take her to the drive-in movies and cuddle? I want to come."

Elena ignored Damon. "Okay. Let's talk."

Stefan looked at Damon, who shrugged. Clearly he wasn't going anywhere.

"You know how we talked about...going away for a while?"

"Mm-hmm," Elena said, recalling their long conversation about needing to get out of Mystic Falls as soon and as far away as possible.

"Well, I called my friends Olivia and Gabriel. I told them our predicament and they invited us to stay with them. There's a large cluster of vampires in the area and we'd have no trouble there."

"Great," Elena said. "Where is this magical place?"

"France," Damon interrupted. "Olivia and Gabriel live in France." He didn't look happy about this new development. Not happy, and not shocked. "I need a drink." Damon disappeared, leaving the two love birds to make their plans in peace.

"That's right. Rennes, in Northwestern France. I thought maybe we could go there for a while. Maybe a year. Let this Klaus thing blow over and get away from all the memories."

Elena was quiet and still for a moment. She knew they were both watching her; gauging her reaction.

"What about school? I still have a year left! What about my friends? My life? And Alaric and Jeremy and..." Damon, she wanted to add but didn't dare.

"I don't know about school...I'm sure if you explained to the school board about all the loss you've endured lately, they'd understand. Or we'll make them understand," Stefan said. He must be serious about this, Elena thought. He didn't like to compel unless he had to.

"Jeremy has Bonnie. Alaric, well, he's a big boy, I'm sure he'll be fine. Jeremy will stay with him. It'll be good for both of them."

"You've already thought of everything, haven't you?" Elena asked.

"Yes. Olivia and Gabriel have lived in Rennes for almost six centuries. Even if the authorities did know about them, they let them live in peace. They're the oldest vampires in France. I thought we could see how the other half lives. We can see what it's like to live in a place where every move is not being monitored by somebody."

Elena sighed. She had so many questions. "Stefan...why France?"

"Klaus isn't there. You've taken French at school for a long time. It's far away from here. And I've known Gabriel and Olivia for a long time."

"How do you know them, exactly?"

Stefan hesitated, and suddenly Elena knew.

"Katherine introduced you."

"Yes. A long time ago, Elena."

"Everything was a long time ago," Elena murmured.

Stefan looked solemn. "I know, believe me, I know. But we can make new memories. We can let some of the tragedies you've endured the past few years heal. Klaus won't find us. And you can learn more about...well, vampires."

"Wait...is that what this is about? You want to take me to France to live among the married vampires so that I'll change my mind about what I want? Stefan, I'm not going to. You know how I feel about that."

"I know, I know," he said. He put his arm around her. "I have no ulterior motive. I just want to get you out of here for a while. You've been through enough. Look, sleep on it, okay? You can decide this week. I'll make the arrangements and we can go whenever you're ready. You'll love it, Elena. I promise."

She finally asked the question they both knew she'd get around to eventually.

"What about...Damon?"

"Don't worry about me," Damon said, reappearing as if from nowhere. Elena hated when he did that. "I'll stay here. Make sure Jeremy stays safe. I'll take care of Klaus if he comes back."

Elena's heart melted. Why was he being so...normal? He was even bordering on sweet and helpful. Why was she suddenly overcome with how much she'd miss him if she left the country? This was not a comfortable feeling, but it didn't take her by surprise. She'd been feeling this way a lot lately, no matter how much she tried to wish her feelings for him away.

"Thank-thank you," Elena said softly. "That's very kind of you."

She expected some kind of smart ass remark about how he wasn't doing it for her, but he just nodded, looking grim. She wished she could touch his hand or hug him or do anything to show her appreciation, but it didn't feel right, not in front of Stefan.

"Well, I'll go home and think about it," she told Stefan. "There's a lot of decisions to be made. There was a lot of things I was looking forward to this year...my senior year was going to be amazing." She thought of all the plans she'd been making with Jenna during the year. Bonfires, a spring break trip to Mexico, a graduation cruise to Alaska...all those plans ruined because of a senseless death.

"I know. It's a lot to think about, but just think...we'll be together with nothing standing in our way. We've never had that before. Don't you think it's worth it?" He kissed her deeply, and she sank into it, trying not to see Damon's cold stare as she and Stefan embraced.

Elena drove home and went straight to bed, not even brushing her teeth or changing her clothes. She slept peacefully and somehow managed to not have the Damon Dream that night. She slept so well, she woke up way too late in the day to do anything productive. The sun was streaming through her window and she groaned. All these decisions she had to make; all these impossible decisions.

"Don't do it," came a voice from the corner of her room. She would have gasped, she would have screamed, but in a way, she expected it, like it was totally normal for Damon to be hanging out in her room when she wakes up in the afternoon.

"Damon," she said breathlessly. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Don't go. I don't know what I'll do without you, Elena. You know why Stefan wants you to go to France with him, right?"

"I have my suspicions," she said. "But I do believe he wants to get me away from here for my own good."

"He wants to get you away from me, can't you see? He's not stupid. He sees what's happening between us as clearly as the two of us see it. Someday we're not going to be able to tip toe around this, whatever this is, anymore. He's trying to get you away from here; from reality, from me. You don't want that, do you?"

Elena took a deep breath. It was time to address this. He was right, they couldn't tip toe around it anymore.

"Come here," she said. "Come on, I don't bite."

"I do."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Come on."

Damon sat on the edge of her bed. She lazily took his hand and said, "Look at me, Damon."

He looked, and she was sorry she asked him to. Those blue eyes were nearly impossible to say no to. If she wasn't careful, she could easily get lost in them; forget herself, forget Stefan, forget doing the right thing.

"You're right. There is something between us. And it means something and I respect it. But as I've told you before, I choose Stefan. He's gotten me through the hardest times of my life. I feel like I owe it to him to give France a shot. And that's my decision. I'm sorry, Damon."

"I've been here too, Elena. Haven't we all been going through this together? You know, some day you'll see that being loyal to someone out of duty or out of love are two different things."

She knew this was true. It was something she thought about a lot, but wasn't sure what she needed to do about it yet.

"I need to know, Elena. Tell me why you choose Stefan."

This question took her by surprise and she didn't know why. There should have been a simple answer and yet nothing was coming out. When she didn't say anything for way too long, Damon started to say something. She interrupted him.

"He doesn't turn his emotions off. He loves me in every way possible and I feel it every time we're together. It's so easy to be with him, Damon. He makes it so easy. It's like breathing. It's like home."

Damon's eyes darkened and for a split second, Elena was scared. But Damon would never harm her. He was constantly going out of his way to save her. She felt safer in his presence than anywhere else in the world.

"Don't you want more of a challenge? Doesn't it get boring to be with someone who has every aspect of your life planned out already? He's probably been planning this trip to France since the day you two kissed for the first time. He's only doing it now because it hasn't been convenient yet. I just wish you could see, Elena. Life could be so different for you. You chose the wrong brother."

"Come on, Damon. You love Stefan. You guys have been doing so well lately. Why are you so determined to steal his girlfriend?"

Damon chuckled. "It wouldn't be stealing if it's what we both wanted." Elena blushed. "To answer your question...well, I don't have an answer. You can tell him about this conversation if you need to. But just remember to tell him about the part where you considered staying here to be with me. And definitely mention what's about to happen."

Again, it didn't shock her when he kissed her. A part of her expected it; even wanted it. She probably would have been disappointed if it didn't happen.

The kiss...how do you describe a kiss that had been so long in the making? A kiss that was practically inevitable from the day they met, maybe even before that-maybe back even back to Katherine's day of corsets and carriages. A kiss that defied the laws of physics and gravity and space and time. She didn't expect it to be so perfect. It was like her soul was consuming Damon's essence, and she didn't want it to stop. She wanted to do everything with him; everything they'd been depriving themselves of out of loyalty to Stefan. But something made her stop. Somehow she found it within herself to pull away from the force of his lips. It wasn't easy.

"I know you're going to France," he said softly. "But I want you to remember what just happened. I want you to remember that you wanted it as much as I did. I want you to remember how it felt and how you felt. It's not going away, Elena."

"What isn't?" She could barely speak.

"The feelings you have right now. No matter where you go, how many thousands of miles away, you won't forget what just happened."

He took one last, long, intimate look at her and when she blinked, he was gone. She inhaled, exhaled, smiled for a brief moment, and then picked up her cell and called Stefan. They were going to France. She couldn't wait.

To be continued...

A/N Thanks for reading! I just wanted to say I know I kinda glossed over the whole werewolf bite thing. I wasn't sure how to get around it without just making it no big deal. Sooo...there's that.